DantheCoasterman

Audioslaved

Sunday, June 17, 2007 12:48 AM

The ones I have ridden werent terribly bad, just like an arrow looper which I dont mind. The only thing I really enjoy about them is their leg choppers which are pretty suprising your first time on the ride. I think a lot of wooden coasters are way worse then these, even ones not normally classified as rough.

DawgByte II

Although they're a dime-a-dozen with virtually the exact same layout each time (except a couple which have a helix in the end, and I think one that's completely original in terms of a layout)...

...I really enjoy the intense layout, but it honestly is the same-old-ride for each park I visit, be it New England, Canada's Wonderland, Darien Lake, Geauga Lake... or even Great Escape once it installs the over-used clone.

The problem is that unless you really know HOW to ride the ride (ie: keeping the head forward, knowing when to turn or tighten your neck to avoid head-banging)... you will experience a bumpy ride, and not enjoy it as much. If it was as smooth as a B&M, you'd be hearing rave reviews of the ride each & every time.

tricktrack

I really dislike them! The SLCs went through 3 different generations which slightly altered the layout in order to better the ride experience and I must say that they didn´t improve anything.

Ironically, I find the Prototype, which was built only once (Walibi Holland) the best of the bunch. Here, they shortened the trains so that the course is taken at a constant (very high) speed. Its so fast and ferocious, its almost rediculous!

Now my problem with the SLCs that followed up to the 3rd generation (1999 ff) are the too long trains. You have this constant speed changes that I find very uncomortable and distracting from the ride experience. I just don´t like being brought to a sudden standstill while upside down.

I think that this is also the reason for most of the headbanging. The rides have a horrible flow.

Take a look at Talons first half, it looks like B&Ms ironic take on the SLC design, and shows them how it´s done.

Walt S

Spinout

Sunday, June 17, 2007 9:28 PM

I went on the SLC at GL about 3-4 times, and I believe I went on the SLC at SFKK about 2 times. The thing I don't like about them is that there's just too much. At T2, I remember thinking what happened? I didn't enjoy the ride at all. It was just a blur. What fun (to me) is a ride that's just a blur? If you don't know what's going on, I say forget it. I say forget these rides. It's not that the ride is "beating me up", but rather the what happened theory.

I think it might be the fact that SLC's are so bunched up together compared to B&Ms. That's the real difference. Yes, the train is different, and there's other things, but what makes SLC's different than B&M inverted. I thinks that's it, and it shows.

Mamoosh

I think it might be the fact that SLC's are so bunched up together compared to B&Ms. That's the real difference.

Wrong. The real difference is how the seats are attached to the train's chasis.

On an SLC the seats connect via a hinge that allows them to swing back and forth. Were it not for the shock-aborbers on either side that dampens most of the movement the seats would swing back and forth like an Arrow suspended. Because not all the movement is eliminated you get a rough ride.

B&M seats are attached between wheel assemblies and via a rigid frame that does not allow any swinging what-so-ever. Because all swinging movement is completely eliminated you get a smooth ride. http://www.rcdb.com/ig24.htm?picture=2

Shivtim

Monday, June 18, 2007 7:12 AM

The smoothest I've been on is unfortunately on the other side of the world, at Dream Park in Cairo. It even has the extra helix and a view of the pyramids ( http://www.rcdb.com/id1348.htm ).The roughest I've been on is Top Gun at Canada's Wonderland. I agree that the layout is fine, it's just the train design that can ruin the experience.

Coasterkid200

DawgByte II

Monday, June 18, 2007 11:01 AM

ROI, man... ROI.

It's not Vekoma who will "fix the trains" so as much as the parks whom request it, and a new train can cost hundreds of thousands (200,000 perhaps?) per train, if they want the wheel-assembly to resemble the track-hugging of Intamin and B&M, of which was rumored to be on the newer SLC's (rumored)... and if you got a 5 to 10yr old SLC, is it really worth it for the park to spend nearly a half a million on a well-established ride when there's no marketing tool for 'new trains'?

rollergator

Monday, June 18, 2007 12:51 PM

I was wondering about those lapbars, and in discussions over this weekend I'd heard a suggestion that the lapbar conversion would only be for the junior SLCs. Good news if we can get those on some of the "adult models". The ride will still hang and bang, but at least we won't have to get headaches...